


Laughter

by cassacain



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Supergirl (Comics), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:09:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24181123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassacain/pseuds/cassacain
Summary: Barbara had to catch her breath. “Okay, I’ll say what I’m thinking first. I think you might...want more out of this. More than friendship.” Barbara felt astonished with herself; once the words were out they couldn’t be put back away.But they didn’t feel as big when they were out in the air. Nothing feels as big once it isn’t a secret anymore.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Kara Zor-El
Comments: 2
Kudos: 49





	Laughter

**Author's Note:**

> I love Kara and Barbara, they're so frigging adorable, and I've wanted to write something about the two of them for so long! So, this was just something self-indulgent to satisfy that urge.

There was a darkness in this lifestyle, a darkness which reeked with the potential to quickly become all-consuming.

Barbara had stumbled into that, lately. It was easier to do so as Oracle; now, she had the Justice League and every hero with accreditation reaching out to her, desperate for clues, leads, knowledge. She lost hours in front of her computers hidden away in the Clocktower, her building eye strain the best way for keeping track of time.

  
She didn’t go out so much anymore. Without her friends, she would hardly go out at all.

When she met Supergirl, Kara Danvers, for Smoothie King she hadn’t gone out for weeks before then. 

She recognized the girl at a distance; it was easy to pick Kara out right away, because of her all-American surfer girl tan, her muscular legs and her shock of blonde hair, currently stretching to her shoulder blades and marked with a heavy fringe over her forehead. Kara had on cute pink lensless glasses and a simple outfit, just a tshirt and a pair of high-waisted white shorts, yet Barbara couldn’t help but think she was a total knockout.

Barbara came closer in her wheelchair, calling, “Kara! Over here!” Kara wheeled around and squealed in glee, rushing over to Barbara and tackling her in a hug that rocked the wheelchair a little bit. Barbara hugged her back, but was careful not to put her hands on her back; she’d been wheeling all day, and the protective gloves she used to keep her palms from chafing or getting too dirty were dirty themselves, without the chance for Barbara to take them off.

Kara emerged from the hug and grabbed Barbara by the shoulders, studying her face closely. Barbara imagined what Kara saw: green eyes behind large glasses (chosen to be large before that was fashionable, to hide the tired bags), a face pale from hiding indoors all day long, and minimal makeup because getting ready to go see Kara was put off to the last second in order to maximize working time.  _ Real cute, Babs _ , Barbara thought at herself in condescending annoyance.

Instead of commenting on all that, Kara said, “Geez, Barb, how do you get prettier every time I see you? You’re the girl that Dolly Parton was talking about in  _ Jolene _ . What’s your secret?”

A little flustered by the splurge of compliments, Barbara said, “Good friends like you.”

Kara laughed as if it was the best thing she’d ever heard, but then she grimaced as if in pain. “Ugh, Barb, it’s been too long! I’ve missed you! I don’t know how I survive being apart from you, and not getting to see you for weeks and weeks. Life really is a highway, but I’m done riding it!”

Barbara laughed. “I’ll be your pit stop, then.”

“Yes, please!” Kara laughed. “Come on, smoothie time. If I don’t get a strawberry smoothie, I might just die. Ooh, we could get a large one and share it. But would we agree on a flavor?” Kara babbled as they headed in. 

Barbara scoped the store carefully; as usual, it was filled with high schoolers, so she imagined their best bet was to head elsewhere. She’d invite Kara to the Clocktower, then. But, the temptation to go back to work would pull at her; it was quite the conundrum.

“Let’s just get our own drinks,” Barbara said when Kara paused.

“As always, you’re the genius between us, Barb,” Kara said, happily, despite the fact that she was incredibly intelligent herself. Barbara was ready to argue it, but then the lady was taking their orders so she had to put it off. 

When they were waiting for the smoothies to be made, Barbara said, “You know, you’re pretty dang smart, too. I’ve read your papers.”

Kara waved her hand flippantly. “Barb, with me, there is no need for flattery. I mean it in full when I say you’ve won my heart.”

Barbara smiled. “It isn’t flattery, Kara, I’m serious. Don’t deprecate yourself to build me up when you’re perfectly smart in your own right.”

Kara grinned in a way that crinkled her eyes. “You’re probably right, but I can’t help myself. I just want you to know how awesome you are, every second of the day, for the rest of your life.”

A Smoothie King employee interrupted, calling out their orders, and passed them out to them. Kara eagerly slurped at her smoothie as she followed Barbara out, without question.

Barbara’s chest felt warm, all aglow from Kara’s compliments. “You definitely make me feel special,” Barbara said, but that didn’t quite amount to how Kara made her feel. She knew Kara acted goofier and happier with her because of how long their friendship had lasted--all the way back to when Barbara first started as Batgirl--and because of how much they both had been through.

But, either way, Barbara couldn’t help it; Kara just made her plain happy. She took her back to the Clocktower, that way she could take off the gloves and wash her hands before settling beside her. Kara laid happily across the couch, on her side so she could sip away at her smoothie without spilling it on her.

“Gotham is so much gloomier than Metropolis, or else I’d move here. Your house is incredible, and so huge. Would you let me move in the Clocktower with you?”

“In a heartbeat,” Barbara answered without a second’s hesitation, meaning it. She surprised herself with her instant sincerity.

“I would want you to live in Metropolis, I would sneak you into my apartment right under my landlady’s nose. We could spend everyday sipping smoothies and I would bring you a present each time I came home from work.”

“Would you pay for all of that on your reporter’s salary?” Barbara asked, teasing, and Kara’s eyes filled with fire.

“Absolutely! I would set up all your computers on the wall and I could sit on the couch and watch Netflix while you do your computer-stuff. It would be perfect.” Kara said, resolutely, and Barbara astonished herself by agreeing that it actually sounded pretty stinking fun. 

Obviously, she’d missed Kara more than she realized. She took a huge gulp of her berry smoothie. Kara already moved on to talking about something else, and, with a strip of hair pinched between her fingers and brought before her blue eyes for inspection, it was pretty clear what that was.

“I keep thinking, maybe it’s time for a switch-up? I’ve had long hair my entire life. What would I look like with a french bob?”

“Absolutely adorable,” Barbara said, sipping her smoothie like it was alcohol.

“Maybe I’d look a little gay,” Kara said, her eyes flashing. “I don’t think I’d mind that at all, though. You know, my first kiss was with a girl.”

“I do know. I was there,” Barbara answered. Who could forget Poison Ivy kissing Supergirl? It had been the subject of some of Barbara’s more ponderous daydreams.

“Yeah, it was an accident, but it happened regardless. And I can’t help but wonder, did she see something about me?” Kara’s face flickered with doubt, her blue eyes darting away from Barbara’s, and Barbara frowned in confusion.

“What do you mean by that?” She asked.

“Maybe I am, you know, bisexual or something? I don’t really know. On Krypton, we didn’t have words for that, sexuality was just...what it was, without definition, but here on Earth everything is so much more complicated. Or, maybe it’s just different, I don’t mean to culturally insensitive or anything.”

Barbara laughed. “You aren’t culturally insensitive, you’re just in a unique position. Some people just don’t define themselves, that could work for you.”

Anxiety appeared on Kara’s face. “I don’t know about that, sometimes people make fun of the whole no labels thing. I have to have a way to describe myself.”

Goodness, Barbara thought. This was spiraling out of control. “Kara, take a breath. You don’t owe anyone anything, especially not explanations about your sexuality or your personal interests. Especially when you don’t have answers yet. Remember that, okay?”

A smile resumed on Kara’s face. It was like rain after a drought; Barbara couldn’t have kept herself from returning the smile if she wanted to.

“You’re the best, Barb,” Kara said, encircling Barbara in a tight, comfortable hug. She smelled warm, like apples and cinnamon, which was enticing enough without how soft her hair was against Barbara’s cheek.

Barbara took Kara’s words and said them to herself, over and over again, so she wouldn’t forget them. She wanted them etched on her heart forever. Kara had no idea how much she meant to Barbara, the extent to which she built her up.

It was incredible, Kara was completely oblivious that she was a light in the darkness. But how to put that into words, without sounding like some kind of strange, cheesy romance novel? Kara pulled back and Barbara offered her a smile.

“Dick Grayson is so frigging lucky,” Kara said, gazing at Barbara with a kind of fuzzy longing.

“What?” Barbara asked, caught off-guard. She hadn’t dated Dick for two years.

“Well, I mean, he just got to be so close to you. I want to be close to you too.” Kara laid her head on Barbara’s chest like a little child, as if trying to hear her heartbeat. Barbara wrapped her arms around Kara, confused until she got it all at once.

She looped her fingers in Kara’s blonde hair. “Kara, what are you really thinking?”

“You might not like it.” Kara said, her voice muffled.

Barbara let out a small laugh. “I don’t like taxes. I like you, Kara. I want to know what you’re thinking, I don’t want you to hide pieces of yourself from me. And I never want you to feel as if you have to hide things from me.”

“I don’t have to, I choose to,” Kara said, almost petulant, and Barbara lightly pinched her shoulder. “Hey! No fair. You don’t always say what you’re thinking.” Kara looked up at her with clear blue eyes, so light they were almost see-through.

Barbara had to catch her breath. “Okay, I’ll say what I’m thinking first. I think you might...want more out of this. More than friendship.” Barbara felt astonished with herself; once the words were out they couldn’t be put back away.

  
But they didn’t feel as big when they were out in the air. Nothing feels as big once it isn’t a secret anymore.

“Don’t say more, as if friendship is somehow less than romance,” Kara said, and she was right. Friendship was just as important as romance, the feelings were just...different. “But, sometimes, yeah. I get really silly when I’m around you, as if I can’t survive without hearing you laugh.”

Barbara laughed at that. “I like that, that might be the cutest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“You might be the cutest person I’ve ever seen,” Kara said, tracing a circle on Barbara’s thigh.

“Kara, if I’d known you felt this way we could have talked about it a lot sooner. About what it means.” Barbara said.

“I just don’t want our friendship to go away,” Kara said, without meeting Barbara’s eyes.

“That would never happen. I’m still friends with Dick, after all that happened between us.” Barbara still held Kara in her arms, but now Kara pulled gently free. She sat on the floor a moment, skirt fawned out as she thought it all through.

She looked up at Barbara with a hopeful smile. “There’s potential, then?” She asked, urgently.

“I think so,” Barbara returned. “I mean, how could there not be? I smile way more when I’m with you, Kara, and I think you’re elegant, and adorable...” She trailed off, suddenly self-conscious. She was not good at the whole giving compliments thing.

But then Kara sprang up, scooping up Barbara’s hands. Her eyes glittered. “Don’t stop, Barbara, please. I want to hear more.”

“Oh, okay...I mean, I just love you a lot, Kara. You’ve always been there for me, I can always rely on you,” Barbara shrugged and laughed. “I don’t know, all of this feels like stuff you already know.”

“I still love to hear it out loud,” Kara beamed, and Barbara wrapped her up in a sudden hug again. Kara returned it eagerly.

“This Friday? Let’s get food, okay?” Barbara said, and Kara squealed happily.   
  
“Yes! It’s a  _ date _ .” She said, enunciating the word adorably. Barbara wanted to keep her here, beside her, but the future was even more exciting.

There could be dozens more dates on Fridays, and, in the future, even more. All she had to do was wait for it to unfold, opening like a book, and she could fall in love with Kara all over again, just in a different way.

Barbara ran a hand through Kara’s hair, gently untangled a knot, and grinned down at Kara. “I can’t wait to see what you do with this,” she said, meaning every word of it.

Kara laughed. “You mean what we do with it.” And, suddenly, she leaned forward and gave Barbara a soft, sweet kiss.

Barbara’s world lit up like a rainbow; there was no need to wait for Friday.


End file.
